My One and Only
by 8cheshirekat
Summary: FOR Aussiejimfan/yonie - Jim/OC "Punch me, I'm having a bad day." "I'm not punching you!" "Fine, then slap me." "Oo. That bad?"
1. Chapter 1: Flashbacks

(Jim/OC) What can you possibly have when you live in a world without the fairytale prince? Well, for her, you just "get along" with life, unless you find "the prince" and he likes you, the little man on the totem pole. So, now what, unlikely princess?

* * *

She tipped her head to the side.

It didn't make it better, it made it worse.

She sighed and straightened up again. With her eyes closed, she took a deep breath. She opened her eyes again.

How was it possible that such a handsome man would come to know her? She's a very ordinary girl. Shouldn't he be partnered with another girl, someone more attractive who would fit into _his_ standings, not her's?

With a shrug, she pulled her hair back and prepared to play tennis with her new partner. She was just finishing when she looked at the board again. There was her name.... beside....

Whispers lingered in the air.

"I can't believe he's stuck with _her_, of all people."

"It's so~o not fair."

"How did the ugly duck get such a man?"

"She's undeserving!"

She clenched a fist around her ponytail before she turned to leave.

Her partner was standing outside.

His brown hair and beautiful blue eye made him quite the looker. Not to mention his gorgeous tan and his strong muscles. This was the "prince" of their school, James "Jim Crocodile" Cook.

He smiled at her and handed her a racket. His white tee and long pants met his somewhat dirty, worn sneakers, and he looked like a white knight. It made her heart skip a beat. "Hey, ready?" he asked.

She gave a weak nod. "Yes, I am." She scuffed her foot slightly as she followed him.

"Oi!"

She stopped and tried not to look at Jim. He was waving at someone and she slowly turned her head to peek. Her jaw dropped. "You know him?"

"Yeah, why?" Jim asked, raising an eyebrow. "You know him?"

"That's my brother...."

"You're an Emerson, mate?" Jim smiled. "You guys are so different, I neva woulda guessed." He smiled brighter and there was a slight spring to his step.

"Julisa!" Jordan practically tackled her, but picked her up instead. "Guess what, guess what, guess what, guess what, guess--!"

"What?!" she said over Jordan's loud speech.

"We're going to central, mate!" Jordan dropped Julisa in his excitement.

Julisa's black hair flared out around her as she fell and she rubbed her rear. "Oi, be gentle, yes?" She stumbled to her feet. "Why should I be happy 'bout that?"

"Just because. We leave at the end of this semester!"

---_end of flashback_---

Julisa sat up-right again.

"Miss Julisa, kindly extend your knowledge to at least absorb this."

"Yes, Professor Crowler." She waited until he was back at the board and looked down. Her note page was gone!

It fell before her again and she looked to her right. Blair Flannagin smiled brightly at her. "Heads up, Julisa. You shouldn't let your mind wander. You know how Dr. Crowler hates that. So, you enjoying 'Advanced Card Techniques' or is it as boring as everything else?"

Julisa never answered those kinds of questions. "How about this, I buy you lunch for such a good note page?"

Blair out-right laughed and Crowler whipped around. "Miss Blair! Is something funny?"

"Yes!" Blair stood up. "I seem to have missplaced my boring brain with one that actually enjoys this class." She smiled brightly and sat back down.

Julisa looked down, unable to meet those nasty eyes that pierced every student. She had five more minutes of this.

Five more until the rally.

Why was it that every time the advanced students had to study before school even started? Was it even possible to overdue anything at Central?!

The bell sounded and everyone jumped up, chattering about how great the rally was going to be. Julisa moved as slow as a snail. What was the point? It was a useless exercise to have a rally for the "new guys" and the "new teach" that everyone wanted to meet.

Blair tugged her sleeve. "C'mon."

Julisa had spent almost three years away from home, away from her native Australia. She hand Jo, her brother, had long since lost their accent. They had also lost touch with what Australia considered proper and adequate for someone of a richer class. Jo had gotten into the swing of things and was fast friends with Atticus Rhodes, brother of Alexis Rhodes, and Tyranno Hassleberry, good friend of Jaden Yuki.

Julisa, on the other hand, had strayed away from friends, preferring her old life of watching her "friends" use her for things they wanted. However, nobody at Central had been like that, they'd just acted like she was one of them. Even Blair. Despite them being from opposite sides of the social spectrum, Blair was rather insistent on being around whenever Julisa was in a bind with Crowler or any of the other teachers.

Jo had told Julisa to lighten up and not be stuck-up or to get stuck in the clouds like she always did. Blair was kind of Julisa's anchor.

"C'mon, c'mon, c'mon! I'll miss my chance to indite the students of the first-years!" Blair said, with a fake tone of annoyance. "Besides, I hear they sent someone from your Australian Academy, erm, what was it called? Oh, that's right! They sent someone from Thunder Academy!"

Julisa's heart skipped a beat. James, er, Jim had always been the top of his classes, far exceeding everyone. He had finished all the required courses before he was even sixteen. He was held back because he didn't have all the credits. But on tests that were scored by a thousand-points, he would manage a thousand-twenty-five points. Jim was that good! Maybe they would send him....

Maybe.

"I wanna see if guys from Australia are as cute as the girls from Australia!"

"Can you not tell from Jo?"

"Well, he's only one guy, right?" Blair yanked Julisa out of her seat and ran off, forgetting Julisa didn't have her bag.

"Oi! Mate! Me things are still lyin' 'round back there, mate!"

Blair laughed. "Aha! You still have your accent!" She slapped Julisa's arm. "Well, hurry along! I wouldn't want to be left behind." And she was gone.

Julisa sighed and was heading back to the classroom. She rounded a corner and stopped.

A blue-haired boy was opening every door in the hallway. He was dressed kinda funny. A lavender shirt with ruffled sleeves? What kind of guy wears that and then wears nearly black pants and white-to-brown boots? And a blue vest to top all that off. He scratched his ear as he opened the janitor's closet. When it closed, he saw her looking at him.

"Ah! Someone!" He had a kind of heavy accent. "Erm, this is gonna sound really strange, but, er, ya'll wouldn't happen ta know where ta get outta here would be, wouldcha?"

Julisa raised an eyebrow. "Well, to be honest, you're not exactly in the right hallway." She turned and pointed back the way she came. "But if you go that way, and--"

"Thanks!" he said, already running off.

"W-wait! You'll end up--!" She stopped. His footfalls had already faded. She lowered her hand and sighed. "I'm no help. Sorry."


	2. Chapter 2: Second Meet and Shirley!

Julisa was standing in the door, her jaw slack. There was the WHOLE school, emphasis on "whole"!

It was packed to the point some of the students in the back were shoulder-to-shoulder along the bench. This must've been a big rally that she'd missed the memo for?

She was about to sit in the back when someone grabbed her arm and she stumbled sideways down the stairs. Blair had her sit in a seat near a couple of girls she recognized as Blair's "friends", who were really just acquaintances of her's.

"So, Aussie, what's up? You're late."

Julisa ignored that comment. They assumed that Australians were lazy, slow, or, altogether, strange. She had grown used to being the center of insult. It was something she despised, but lived with.

She took out a pen and started drawing on her arm, where her glove could cover it. She was drawing a crocodile wrapping itself around her arm. As she drew near the end, she realized it was Shirley and then--

"Jim Cook!"

She flinched and looked up, eyes wide.

Sure enough, there he was! Tall, handsome, and still well tanned. She shrank into the background as she watched Jim. He still had all his energy, his wide smile, his.... silly hat....

It dawned on her that now she had no idea who the other two guys were....

She quickly payed attention to the next and last student....

"Jesse Anderson!"

Julisa listened to everyone whispering and leaned over to Blair. "Who's Jesse?"

"The Crystal Beast kid."

Julisa still didn't understand, but pretended like she did.

Suddenly, the doors opened and she looked around....

"Blair!" she hissed, tugging Blair's sleeve. "That boy was in the classroom after everyone left!"

"The one who held you up?" she asked.

"Yes."

"That's him. Mr. Anderson!"

Julisa turned to Blair and the two of them burst out laughing.

Julisa quickly stopped when she felt something boring into her back. Whipping around, she looked right into that deep blue eye and a grin crossed his face. She flushed a deep crimson and he gave a little wave. Julisa knew that Jim could see right through her facade. She was doomed to be see-through when it came to Jim.

"Julisa, turn around."

She quickly fixed herself in her seat and looked down at Jim again. He was watching Jesse run up to the stage, so, she was safe from his scrutinizing eyes.

Blair saw Julisa's gaze lock onto the new guy. A sparked idea raced through her head. She looked down at the tallest guy and smiled. She was right. Julisa did leave behind someone special.

---Obelisk Dorms---

Jim was quietly stacking his new books on his bedside table when he noticed Shirley had run off again. He assumed that was why his door was still propped open.

He poked his head into the hallway and noticed a door open at the end of the hall.

He wan't used to the fancy dorms, since the dorms he was used to were not quite as well-tricked-out as these. He had to get used to the chandelier every five feet. The marble floors and the velvet-plush carpets. But mostly, he had to get used to the reflective, wooden doors.

His eyes widened.

Julisa came out, locking her door. She was on the school cell's that each room had. "No! Wait until I get there. Seriously!"

She was just starting to turn when she saw Jim. Shewaved and then gasped.

"BLAIR! I _just said_ to not feed the croc! She doesn't like wheat! Blair! Blair, listen to me!" Julisa was running passed and Jim was jogging behind her.

He was still tall enough to jog when she was at a flat-out run.

"Blair, don't stick your hand in her mouth! Leave the croc alone and--!" Julisa stopped for a moment before starting up again. "See? Look, leave her be. We're coming to find her. Yes! I said 'we', Blair. I've got Jim on my heels."

Jim smiled brightly at Julisa. It was nice to see her after.... god knows how many years. He stopped at the entrance to the dorms to marvel at th high ceilings made of pure white marble and the ver elegant, cobalt chandelier.

Then it hit him.

Shirley was wanderig about and people thought she was a wild animal.

Then another thought hit him.

Julisa was barefoot.....


	3. Chapter 3: Curshing on an Aussie

Julisa came around a corner and stopped. She saw Jim talking to someone and didn't disturb him. She listened to his voice, his beautiful voice and clenched a fist. She was gonna lose her chance! But....

---_flashback_---

"You won't believe what my boyfriend did for me!"

"What? Tell me!"

"He went and bought me this expensive bracelet!"

Julisa stood up from her seat. "Yeah, and my boyfriend is overseas, studying."

For a long time, Julisa had wanted to be a part of this group. They were popular and the boys flocked to them easily. She wanted, so badly, to be kissed and held and pampered and.... loved. But she'd never gotten "involved" with Jim, even though she wanted to. She had never said if she'd had a boyfriend or girl friends to hang out with. Blair was her only, real friend.

Julisa saw Jo shake his head before he whacked Atticus on the back of the head with a book. He and Atticus took off to chat up with Alexis. Julisa had told Jo, but he had a promise to never tell anyone except her. Alexis and Blair were friends, and Alexis was her own one girl revolution.

"You've got a boyfriend?" a girl asked. Her fire-red hair was obviously dyed and her sweet, amber eyes could easily charm anyone. She always wore her hair in four pigtails around her head. It gave the effect of fire exploding out of her head from four directions.

"Yes, I do." Julisa stuck her nose in the air and turned to leave. She'd practiced it so many times that she knew what kind of reaction she was stabbing towards. She got it!

"Really? Is he cute?"

Julisa smiled ruefully at the girl. "Yes." Inwardly, she said; '_More like, I wish. Jim would never think twice about me._'

The girl, Ember, smirked. "Well, you're in luck. An Aussie is coming to join us from your home turf. Maybe it's him."

"It should be. He said he was coming." Julisa could feel her heart throbbing painfully fast and her neck starting to coat with sweat. "For now, I'm stuck with the lame boys here."

Ember threw her head back and laughed. Her friend, a girl with rich, chocolate brown hair and honey hazel eyes. Ember and Inez were the two girls you wanted to be friends with, aside form Alexis.

Julisa had failed to capture Alexis' friendship. Alexis didn't trust Julisa because the rumor spread that Julisa was seeing Atticus. Alexis didn't much appreciate that her brother was dating someone who was trying to be her friend. She found it too coincidental and thought that Julisa was using her for leverage.

That leaves Ember and Inez.

---_end_---

They had dared her to approach Jim and talk to him. They wanted to see if she was really Jim's girl.

Suddenly--

"G'day, Julisa."

She jumped a mile and looked down. Jim was crouching beside Shirley, who was looking up at her from the corner. "G-g'day."

"Have you been gone that long?" Jim asked, standing up.

"Eh?"

"You've lost your accent, mate."

Julisa crossed her arms. "I never had one."

Jim blinked and then burst out laughing. "You're right. I almost bloomin' forgot, mate." He patted her head. "But you haven't changed a bit."

"OI! I have too!" She swatted his hand away, startling him. "I've just not grown physically! I'm still too short for...." She blinked.

Jim was laughing behind his hand. He quickly adjusted himself and stood up-right, saluting her. "Salutations, stranger from a strange planet in a strange universe."

It was her turn to laugh at him. But it wasn't because of his goofy attitude. It was because of his smile.

Julisa was always fascinated by the person behind that smile. There was someone behind it. A person who could make Jim a human. It fascinated and terrified her. His laughter and his smile were the treasures she wanted to keep from him. Jim's personality was all she ever wanted. It was so ordinary, and it made her feel so ordinary.

Jim noticed Shirley was growling at someone behind Julisa. He looked beyond her and his eyes hardened. "Were you eavesdropping, Jess?"

"No. Well, except for that joke about the stranger." Jesse smiled. He tucked his hands behind himself and leaned back slightly. He was so child-like!

Julisa had half a mind to whack the poor bluenette, but decided against it. She sighed and patted Jim's shoulder, walking passed. "Good to see ya, mate."

Jim watched her go before his new best friend--

WHAM!

"Oi! What was that for?" Jim hissed, rubbing the back of his head where Jesse had drop-kicked him.

"I ain't blind, buddy. I saw them funny grins ya got." He smiled himself. "Ya'll're so crushin' on a girl who's got a big crush on ya."

Jim raised an eyebrow and then looked at Julisa. She was still barefoot from earlier in the day. She was talking to a friend, Blair was the name Jim recalled, and she looked a bit flushed compared to normal. Was it because of Jim? Or was it because she was hot?

He blinked and shook his head. He had too much to think about now!

Jesse laughed and Jim looked around. "What?"

"Ya'll're funny." He patted Jim's shoulder. "I know ya'll get the girl. Ain't it easy for a prince?"

Jim smiled. Jesse knew that Jim had been the "prince" at his old school. Here, he wanted to stand out as much as the wallpaper. It was a good thing everyone was unique here. But Julisa stood out because of her kind persona. She was a sweetheart with such a gentle nature.

How did Jim know that?

Jim had stalked her for a bit because, like now, he was crushing on her. Only now, he was discovering that he liked her all over again. Her laugh was still ringing in his head. Her beautiful, musical, enchanting laugh that....


	4. Chapter 4: Make a Choice

Ember and Inez were really doubting Julisa, but apparently having that little talk with Jim told them she was on the rocks with Jim. So, they believed her. For the most part.

Julisa was currently outside studying. She had a major exam and minimal study time. Jim was taking a few classes, sparingly, because he spent most of his time swimming with Shirley or hanging out with Jesse, his new best bud. Jordan would've been, but his new best friend was Bastion Misawa, the brainiac.

She was just closing her notebook when she saw a pair of yellow and black eyes looking up at her. She yelled and jumped to the side, away from Shirley. "Don't scare me like..."

Shirley was holding Jim's hat...

Jim went practically nowhere without his hat. It was like asking Julisa to remove her gloves when dueling. It was part of the person and soul!

Jim tackled Shirley and smiled up at Julisa. "G'day. Whatcha readin' there, mate?"

"Books." Julisa was looking the other way, trying to breath. She finally choked out more words. "Shirley scared the tar outta me." She looked back and saw Jim sitting next to Shirley, flipping through a couple of Julisa's books. "Oi! No! Give 'em back!"

Jim held it out of her reach, reading a particular page. "What's this? You're studyin' archeology? Didn't know they had a class here, mate!" He was suddenly leaning very close to Julisa's face. "Can a bloke like me get into a class? I'd love ta, if they got the space."

Julisa's face changed colors at the end of his sentence. "There's only five of us. You can come and join, if you'd like." She swatted Jim away and he laughed. She smiled, not only because it was funny, but because he was too light-hearted to be angry with anyone. It was a redeeming feature of Jim's that Julisa always looked for.

Jim handed over the book and started flipping through her notes for arithmetic.

"Oi! My stuff!"

"I just wanna see." Jim stood up, making himself tall enough that she had to stand up. He, however, kept the notebook out of reach as he read a few of her notes. "How come there's two hands writin' in your book, mate? You wouldn't happen ta have a boyfriend, wouldcha?"

"No! I-" Julisa stopped short. She sighed and shrugged. "I never had one," she muttered as she scooped up her things. "Keep the notebook. It's old notes from last semester." She turned on her heel and was about to march off when Jim's firm had gripped her dainty shoulder.

"Here. Sorry, mate. Didn't realize that was a sore subject."

Julisa didn't turn around. Julisa didn't take the notebook.

All she did was shake his hand off her shoulder and walk away.

Jim looked at Julisa's notebook and suddenly noticed very minute printing along the spiral spine. He tried to read it, but couldn't. He could make out the first and last words.

"He" and "me".

-Blair and Julisa-

"SERIOUSLY?"

Julisa covered Blair's mouth. "Yes. Now stop yelling."

"You're gonna leave me out in the cold and go with those two half-wits for girls?" Blair hissed. "What kind of friend could you possibly be? You've already got me. What more could you possibly want?"

"Please don't read me the friends and good friends act."

"A real friend doesn't let you make a stupid choice! A real friend knows what it means to stand tall! A real friend KNOWS WHEN FRIENDS MAKE STUPID CHOICES!"

"Blair!"

"No, I will _NOT_ be silenced!" She slapped Julisa. "Don't you dare come back to me! You're such a waste of my precious time! I spent my time to get to know you! This is how you're gonna do it? You're gonna go off and join the perky pom-pom-pompous group?"

Julisa watched Blair storm out of the classroom and touched her red cheek. Blair was right.

VERY right.

Julisa had been so afraid her first days at Central and it was Blair, a girl who was in the same situation, who became her good and true friend. They had endured Dr. Crowler's lectures together. They had endured the crushing defeat of boys together. They'd even dueled, side-by-side, for the girls' regional tournament. They had become inseparable. Until just this moment.

Julisa sat down in her one, lonely seat, and covered her face.

What kind of monster was she? What kind of person would dump a real, true friend for some rich girls with a lot of pull in the school's social system?

The tears came then.

But someone heard her crying and it hurt.

Jim slid down the wall and sat there. He pulled his hat over his eyes and gripped a hug around himself. This was just like her last days at their academy. He had sat in the hallway while her whole life shattered around her. He had never felt so sure that he'd never hear Julisa crack a joke again.

But this time, Jim could feel more than just that pain. He felt a ray of hope.

He was one of the richest teenagers in Australia. He was also rated quite high amongst both male and female teenagers. Jim was revered for his skills as a student and a professional. Maybe, all those things that made him great, could help him save Julisa's heart. The thing that fueled that fire and spirit she had.

He curled his legs towards him and hugged his knees instead.

For now, Jim had a broken heart. He didn't want to fix his heart first. For now, Jim was going to suffer with Julisa.

A girl who didn't care about standards and threw the Rule Book of Society out the window, way back when.


	5. Chapter 5: Precious to Me

Julisa stood next to Ember and Inez stood on the other side.

The three girls went to a table that was "designated as their own", despite it having already been half taken.

Ember and Inez pushed aside the kids sitting there and Julisa sat across from them. She didn't feel comfortable sitting near them. They were a bit... frightening.

Ember started ranting about how her new shoes were so expensive because the guy at the counter wouldn't give her the coupon discount she had come in with. She was saying that they were absolutely gorgeous when Julisa zoned out.

There was a sudden hand on her shoulder and Julisa jumped a mile. She looked up and then crossed her arms, looking away. "What?"

Jim shrugged and sat down. "Can I please apologize for yesterday?"

"No."

"Why?" Jim asked leaning on the table. He cocked his head to the side and smiled out of the corner of her eye.

"Because that was unforgivably embarrassing." Julisa could see Jim was playing along, but something about that smile made Julisa's spine tingle. She blushed and looked away. "No."

Jim stole her fork and a piece of her chicken. "Then I'll just be on my way, mate." He saw Ember looking at him and waved. "So, erm, on with whatever you ladies were talkin' about." He looked unnerved by Ember's stare and quickly got up.

Ember waited until Jim was out of earshot before-

"HE'S SO HOT! How'd you get a guy like that?"

Inez agreed. "Handsome, muscular, tall, oo, you know how ta pick 'em, Julisa!"

She shrugged. "He's cute and all, but he does stupid things some times." Julisa, inwardly, cringed at that comment. She was downgrading Jim, which wasn't something she wanted to do. Jim was the first guy who liked her just the way she was. He was always her friend.

Jim had caught her after her dangerous fall from grace. It was such a sweet thing.

Blair was glaring down Julisa's back when Jim came back to sit with her and Jaden's gang. Jim noticed the glare and smiled. "She's just getting a very harsh lesson, Blair." He patted her head. "Be nice and wait for her, mate. Julisa is easily confused."

Blair was about to say something when she noticed Jesse on the phone again. "How many phone calls is that?" she asked, trying to change the subject.

Jim looked at Jesse, who was whispering very animatedly. Jim shrugged. "Whatever he's doing, he's very intent, mate."

Jesse finally hung up and then put his head on the table, stretching his arms across. He mumbled something and then popped up, happy and perky like always. "So, whatcha doin' today?"

Jim shrugged and nudged Shirley under the table. "I think I'll go for a swim, mate. Care to join me?"

Julisa watched Jim smile and poke fun at Jesse. She owed him a lot and now, she owed him more than she could handle. Jim was... precious to her.


	6. Chapter 6: Learn to Fall or Swim

Julisa was leaving to go to her dorm when she spotted Jim, snoozing under a tree. She noticed Inez and Ember watching her and she sighed. She ran a hand through her hair and marched up to him. She dropped her bag next to him and he jumped a bit. "Hey."

"What?" Jim asked, rubbing the sleep out of his eye.

"Can I talk to you?"

Jim was about to protest as he tried to wake himself.

"Now?"

Jim shrugged and got up, handing Julisa her bag back. "Where to, mate?"

Julisa smiled brightly and took her bag. "C'mon, I wanna show you something that I found a while ago." She took his hand and started towards the volcano. "It's beautiful and you could really lose your breath up there.

Jim didn't argue and followed Julisa, looking back. He smiled at her two "friends" before he jumped up the huge, jagged boulders like he would jump up a couple stairs. He was trying to make it look as though it wasn't a big deal, but Jim felt his foot slide a couple of times. Jim didn't let it daunt him and easily took up Julisa as he jumped up behind her. He jumped down from the five-foot cliff and set her down. "Now where to, leader?"

Julisa smiled and lead him to an out-cropping. "This is something I do all the time. Besides, it's nice out. The waters should be calm and it's virtually secluded."

Jim just smiled and touched her hand. "Lead on, leader, lead on."

Julisa's heart skipped a beat. She tried to not work on being calm, so, she kept going. Jim's grip was firm, yes, but at the moment, it was very gentle and soft, like he was afraid of crushing her fingers. Julisa didn't like Jim being sweet like this, she liked Jim as the strong-armed, tall, powerful duelist she'd grown to know and love.

Jim, on the other hand, was trying to keep his calm. Her hands were shaking just a bit, but he didn't mind. It was Julisa, a girl. Jim had a tendency to make girls like him or fall for him in some way. He was easily the best suitor for most father's daughters.

Speaking of which...

"Your dad's not happy he hasn't heard from you," Jim said, moving branches out of his face. He was taller than Julisa, so, she kept letting go of the branches at her height and he would still have to move the branches at his head-height.

Julisa shrugged. "Why would he miss me?"

"You're his baby." Jim shrugged. "Just thought it might be important."

"No." Julisa stopped. She had stopped before a curtain of thick ivy. "My dad sent me away because I couldn't be a good girl. I get so caught up in all the politics of teenage life that I forget how easy I fall for stupid traps. I get so caught up in trying to fit in I forget who I am."

Jim gently rubbed his thumb along the back of her hand. "Your dad misses you, mate. You should talk to him."

"Why?" Julisa rounded on him. "Because he's a guy and doesn't know what a girl feels? You're a guy, why do you care?" Julisa stepped back and fell away from Jim. At the last second, when her hand was about to slip out of his, her fingers curled to try and grab him.

She vanished through the ivy.

Jim flung it aside and stopped dead.

The beautiful scene sprawled out before him. Sandy beaches washed into a calm, azure pool of water. The sun came through a wall of dark stones and hit the water just right to illuminate it clear to the bottom. There was the sound of the ocean beyond the rocks and the sand was untouched by nature. It was like a postcard picture that was meant to be admired without human touch. The ivy wall had been strung across a line of trees and the open sky towering over the ivy and rocks made it secluded indeed.

He looked down and saw Julisa making the motions of a snow angel in the sand. "You-?"

"Nothing." She smiled up at him. "I get really angry and I just arrive here and I feel better. It's calming to hear anything."

Jim agreed and sat down beside Julisa. "Do you still not know how to swim?"

"Don't rub it in." Julisa rolled over and flung her left arm across Jim's knees. She rested her cheek on her right arm. "So, I don't know how to swim, what're you gonna do about it?"

Jim grinned and took his hat off. "Well, I'll show you..." He grabbed her and tossed her into the shallow water. He stripped down to just his jeans and dove in after her. She watched him swim around her as she knelt in the water. She giggled as Jim surfaced to her right. "C'mon, I'll teach you to swim. It's calm here, so, I won't have to worry. That, and no pressure from people watching to get it right away, mate." Jim stood up and held out a hand to Julisa.

She was somewhat mesmerized by his smooth abs and strong arms, all of which were amplified by the lighting and water. Julisa, just then, realized she was still wearing her shoes and her heavy coat from school...

She took his hand but quickly disrobed her coat and shoes. She walked over and set them on one of the huge boulders to dry.

She wasn't paying attention and Jim snuck up behind her. He gripped her around the waist and backwards dive-bombed into the deeper part of the water near the shore.

Jim surfaced and Julisa broke the surface nearby. She was thrashing about when Jim dove under and put his hands near her ribs and lifted her so they were eye-level. "So, ready for lesson one?"

Julisa splashed water in his face. "Fine. I'll go with it." She smiled.


	7. Chapter 7: Not Gone Yet

Blair had seen _that_ look before...

But never on him...

Was that even possible? For a man to have _that_ look?

"Blair?"

"Yikes! Yes?" She was catching her breath.

Jesse smiled. "Have I got sumthin' on my face?"

"No, no, no!"

Jesse laughed at her reaction and quickly jumped off the grass. "Jim!"

Jim faltered a step and looked at them, sitting in the shade of the large forest. Jesse and Jaden were running to him. Axel and Adrien stood far apart from the group in two different directions, and brooding alone, go figure. Blair, Alexis, and Atticus were huddled around a book. Hasselberry and Syrus were, like always, arguing with each other about something or other. Chazz was sleeping in the tree, his foot dangling down.

They were a group alright.

Jim managed to dodge to tackle coming. "Hi, boys."

Jesse looked at him funny. "Why're ya'll wet, Jim?"

Jim shrugged. "I went swimming with Shirley again."

There it was! Blair saw _that_ look in Jim's face. What could he possibly be hiding?

-Jim-

He peeked around the tree and then ducked again.

Water exploded on the tree and he jumped out and threw his water balloon and hit his target as he splashed into the shallow water.

"ACK! Jim! No fair!"

Jim sat up, his hat crooked on his head and laughed. "So? That wasn't fair, waiting for me to show myself!"

For a moment, he was still sitting up, until-

Julisa and Jim went flying into the deeper water. She had tackled him and was kneeling in the water. She was _just_ tall enough so her head could stay above the water.

Jim popped up further out, but swam back to her as she ducked under. He smiled as she reached up and grabbed his shoulder to pull herself up. He got up with her and smiled warmly, causing her face to change colors. He scooped her up and went back to shore.

"Julisa!"

The duo looked up to see Ember and Inez peeking through the ivy hanging as their curtain.

Julisa was speechless, but Jim just waved. "G'day."

"Wow..."

Julisa suddenly shoved Jim aside and stood up. "Hey! I told you to leave me alone!"

"But he's so... cute."

Jim saw the pieces fit. His heart, which had always felt lonely when he was with her, suddenly became lighter and he scooped her up again. "If you wanna watch, fine, but don't tell anyone else." He knew they wouldn't believe him. He put her on one of the high stones and walked over to them. "If you tell anyone else, I won't be nice about it, mate." He gave them a sly smile before he went back to Julisa, who was squeezing water out of her hair.

"What'd you say to them?"

"Nothing." Jim put his hands on his hips. "Whatever happened to the happy-go-luck girl I knew? You didn't care way back when."

"Well, here's different." She looked down at her knees. For a moment, she was silent before she hugged her knees and closed her eyes. "Here, they expect things of you. Things I can't achieve or do anymore. Things I could've done back home." She suddenly made two fists and held them up to Jim. "My hands never shook when I dueled at home! Here they're like earthquakes waiting to happen!"

Jim blinked and then laughed. "That sounds like an excuse!"

Julisa didn't mean to, but her fist went up and came down, knocking off Jim's hat. "Eek! Jim, I'm so sorry!"

Jim didn't stop laughing. He just fell back and tried to contain it behind his hands, but it still was escaping. "S-sorry, I-I just c-can't help i-it."

Julisa blinked and stared at him.

His sides were hurting like mad, but he was able to sit up. He smiled. "Julisa I knew was a strong girl. Not physically, but in her respect. She respected everyone and everything. You changed on the outside, but you're still there." He reached up and touched his chest. "On the inside, you're still right here."

Julisa felt the hot tears and smiled. "Jim, you say the strangest things. Weirdo."

Jim burst out laughing again and Julisa followed suit.


	8. Chapter 8: Don't Let Go

Julisa was walking to class when someone came running up behind her. She stopped and turned around.

Ember stopped to catch her breath and then smiled at Julisa. "Hey." She held out her hand. "Did you know today's St. Valentine's?"

Julisa shrugged. It wasn't as if she _really_ wanted some boy to go out of his way to buy her some expensive chocolate and the most wonderful roses with the best suit and some candle-lit dinner for her. She would be happy with just a small pocket of chocolate. It suddenly dawned on Julisa that Jim had walked right passed her earlier that morning. Was he doing something like that "dream date" Ember always said she'd like?

"Hey, Ember?"

"Hm?" Ember was writing something on Julisa's palm.

"H-hey! Wait, what're you doin'?" She tugged and Ember let go. Ember had written a phone number on Julisa's hand. "Wha-?"

Ember smirked. "I found out the number to Jim's room. Call him."

"What? Like, now?"

"Yeah."

Julisa stopped and then sighed. "Fine, but no eavesdropping."

"Oh, I wouldn't dream of it." Ember gave her plastic smile and skipped away.

Julisa had half a mind to throw the four-inch-thick dictionary she was holding right into the back of Ember's swishy hair and head full of air. Instead she looked at the number and was turning around when-

-Jim-

He was sitting in the tree, watching Shirley swimming in the ocean, and just about fed up with people asking him if he was planning on doing anything tonight.

Here's what Jim knew everyone else was doing;

Jesse was going to be spending the whole night on the phone, talking to his family about how things were going here.

Chazz was going out on the town with Jaden and Syrus, Alexis and Atticus were tagging along.

Hassleberry was going to sit in the dorm and read comics and eat popcorn or something.

Adrien was going to, most likely, be sitting in his room, reading a book, and listening to something classical. Well, actually, all Jim knew was that every night since they'd arrived, Adrien would listen to classical music.

Axel was probably going to be training again, with nobody there to see him if he fails. Highly unlikely, but possible all the same.

That left Julisa, Blair, and Jim.

Jim was thinking of calling home, too. But then, there was Julisa. What was he going to tell her? He had tried to ignore her this morning. Or did she not see the mob of boys following her this morning? Ember was spending her time with her boyfriend and Inez's boyfriend, the cheating piece of-

Jim felt his cell phone go off and took it out of his vest pocket. He didn't recognize the number and picked up.

"Hello?"

"Look down."

Jim did and saw Julisa. She hung up. "Oi! What's up?"

Julisa took his arm and lead him around the tree and waited.

Jim blinked. What was she doing?

Then he saw she had a bruise forming on her neck and arm. Like someone had jumped her just now.

"Julisa! Are you all right, mate?"

"No. Ask your stupid friends to stop jumping me!" Julisa rubbed her neck again.

"Wait, what?"

"The Slifer boy, he jumped me in the hall and I fell down the stairs." Julisa winced when she moved her arm. "Doesn't help the blue-haired kid joined in and then the Ra pair joined. Apparently, they want me to go on a date with you tonight. Just tell them to stop jumping me. I'm sore and I think I'm bruising in places I'm gonna regret later in life."

Jim sighed and leaned over. He gently pressed his lips to her bruised neck.

Julisa jumped a mile and Jim just smirked against her neck. He captured her and kissed her forehead. "J-Jim!"

He set her down and noticed ink on her neck. He looked at her hand and saw that familiar number. "Did Ember say this was mine, mate?"

"Yes, why?"

"That's Adrien's room." Jim chuckled and heard something. He looked around and the smile on his lips played down to a frown. "What's..."

Julisa heard it, too.

A helicopter? Something was chopping the air, and getting closer.

Suddenly-

"JIM! JULISA! COME OUT, COME OUT, WHEREVER YOU ARE!"

"Atticus," they both said. They came out from behind the tree, Jim holding onto Julisa's uninked hand so he was sure she wouldn't be blown away.

"I'm here to tell you, you're about to go on the most romantic date!" Atticus jumped down from the helicopter as Alexis and Blair came down as well. "The two of you are going to have a nice, candle-lit dinner in town! Alexis and Blair, here, have someone they're taking, and I want you guys to come, too! My date's already in town, so."

Jim blinked and looked down at Julisa. She was gawking at them. "I don't mind, but what 'bout you, mate?"

Julisa closed her eyes and took a deep breath. Jim felt her practically crush his fingers for a split second. She was crying.

Jim couldn't stand her tears! He wrapped his arms around her and whispered in her ear. "Do you not like it? Is there something I can do? Julisa, don't cry."

Her eyes flew open at those words and she looked up at Jim. It seemed like something clicked, but Jim didn't understand.

Blair suddenly threw her arms in the air and jumped around Alexis. "Yes, yes, yes!"

Jim felt her warm hand on his face and then saw her coming closer. Standing on tip-toe, Julisa closed her eyes and her lips met Jim's.

There wasn't anything there. Jim didn't feel the wind from the helicopter, he didn't feel the ground under his feet. He couldn't hear Blair's yells of joy mingled with Atticus and Alexis applauding them. Jim didn't even know the time of day.

All he knew, was what was right in front of him. He closed his eyes and held on tight.

He didn't want to let go.


	9. Chapter 9: When It Comes Together?

Jim felt it crack under his weight and he quickly jumped to the next one. He watched the branch collapse to the ground and sighed.

What was he doing? Good question!

Julisa went speeding under him. She launched over the branch and laughed that Jim had stopped. Julisa wasn't losing to him, that was for sure. She vanished into a bush of ferns.

Jim crouched down and put his hand on his hat. With one kick, he was ahead of her again, swinging off the branch before him. He spiraled over her head and landed perfectly on one of the stone benches in front of the academy. "I win, again."

Julisa just laughed. "Whatever!" She tackled him, the smile brighter than anything Jim had ever remembered. She was...

"Jim! Julisa!"

They both looked down at Ember. She waved at them from the bench they'd just landed on. Ember seemed to have glued her eyes to Jim and Julisa could clearly see the hunger for him.

"What's up, Ember?" Julisa asked. She noticed Jim gave Ember a smile, but didn't say anything, in case Jim was trying to lead her on.

"Oh, nothing, just wondering what you wanted to do today."

Jim didn't let go of Julisa, but he seemed to have transfixed Ember with a stare that could seem to penetrate right through her. "Julisa and I were going to visit Jaden and them."

Julisa looked up at Jim. She didn't say it out loud... but... Jim was lying through his smile at Ember. Jaden had said that Jim and Julisa couldn't really come surfing with them, since Julisa still hadn't learned to swim just right...

"Oh, well, then, I'll see you later, Jim, Julisa."

Jim agreed and then scooped up Julisa. He jumped down and started walking away. Julisa's eyes looked up at Jim and he dazzled her with a smile, as if she was trying to not see it that bad. "I know. I did that on purpose. I don't want her following us when we're trying to enjoy ourselves. So, for now, mate, we're home free, 'kay?"

Julisa agreed, but kept her head down. She nuzzled Jim's neck before settling for holding onto his shirt front. She was content, after she'd kissed him right in front of everyone... important anyways.

Jim enjoyed the contact and easily dazzled her with a real, kind, gentle smile like she was used to. Jim kissed her forehead and quietly patted her on the arm. "We're going swimming again today, so, be ready fro that, mate." He made sure Ember couldn't see them and gave Julisa a kind, gentle kiss. "I'm glad I can see this girl again."

Julisa nodded and slowly maneuvered herself to land on her bare feet on the cold tiles. She held out her hand for Jim's.

He smiled and took her hand. "So, where to, leader?"

Julisa shrugged. "Class? Whatever you want to do. I'm not supposed to be in any class today." Julisa gently swung their connecting arms.

Jim smiled softly. "Well, I've gotta go to two classes today. Care to come with, mate?"

Julisa hugged his arm. "Yes. I would like to see you in class for once."

-Julisa-

She was outside, waiting.

I mean, what girl would have the decency to _not_ go into the boy's bathroom? Julisa really didn't want to...

Jim came out of the bathroom and smiled at her. He was putting his hat back on as he walked passed her. He used the same hand to sweep back and clutch her wrist. He lead her away, his strong grip seeming to be so nice and warm. She assumed it was because he'd washed his hands with hot water.

"Jim?"

"Mm?" He wasn't turning around.

"Where are we going?"

"You'll see." He didn't say another word.

Julisa thought it was odd, but went with it anyways. She trusted Jim to a tee. He'd taught her to swim, he'd caught her when she'd been taken down by some boys who were picking on her. There wasn't any reason for Jim to betray her now, was there?

Julisa jogged to walk beside Jim. She smiled brightly at him and his face turned red. He smiled back. Julisa thought it was cute, that one smile could make him still turn red. She liked it, actually.

Finally, Jim stopped and moved her in front of him. He pointed towards something. "Look over there," he whispered.

Julisa saw Jim's friends throwing water balloons at each other. She giggled, but noticed Jim had let go. She looked up and saw he was holding a bucket of water. She gasped, realizing what he was about to do just a moment too late.

The water, which was frigid cold, splashed over her head, causing her to squeak. She felt the water finally cease and turned to grab Jim, who was smart enough to put the bucket in the way. He laughed at the sight of her "drowned cat" look.

"Now I'm freezing!" she laughed. She grabbed the bucket and smiled at Jim through her curtain of hair. "Ah, well, I'll just go stand in the sun and hopefully get warm."

Jim doubled over and laughed so hard he was sitting down, clutching his sides. "Ow, ow, ow. No fair!"

She smiled and squeezed the water from her hair so it fell off the brim of Jim's hat. "There, now you're wet, too."

A water balloon hit Jim on the side of the head and the Aussie went sideways. Julisa looked up and saw Jaden and Jesse, prepared with ready-to-burst water balloons. The moment Jim sat up, the pelted him in the face.

"You're not getting away this time!" they said, in unison.

Jim jumped up. "Oh, I'm not runnin' 'way, mate!" He chased them down and Julisa smiled bright. Jim was so fun and interesting. How did she ever miss it before?

But then, she would remember the whispers about her. The rumors she fled from. All the nasty stares.

And then it would come. That ringing laughter, that sweet, kind, beautiful smiley face. The tattered, worn, leather hat. The dusty boots tracking across the clean floors. The dust-ridden shirt with it's cuffs held by an old, wooden button. The slightly crooked left canine tooth in the smile.

She always had to pinch herself when she saw him walking towards her. In her eyes, she was a simpleton and he was a god... okay, so, what god treks mud through the house on a perfectly sunny day? He was more like... a very kind-hearted prince.

Which would make her the cinder girl. Or the unworthy girl with perfect timing. Or the ugly duckling.

Whatever it was, Julisa had a gut feeling that Jim might be just doing this because...

Oh, yes, thank you Ember! Planting seeds of deception!

Julisa shook her head and felt something seeping into the back of her shirt. Turning around, she found Syrus squashing a rag against her back, the water getting into her shirt. She made a face and Syrus screamed like a girl.

She lunged after him, laughing and jumped into the water fight, never mind that she was wearing a white shirt with a black tank top underneath. She didn't care. Still, having some fun wasn't out of the question!


	10. Chapter 10: If the Truth Escapes

Blair kicked Julisa, hard.

"OW!"

"Then don't be so stupid!"

Julisa scooted away. She finished tying her shoes and got up. "You're just jealous because my new friends actually have pull in this school."

"Oh, yeah, fine..." Blair suddenly stood up and challenged Julisa when she said; "What_ever_!"

She stormed out and Julisa's strength diminished. For the longest time, Blair was her _only_ friend. After Jim came to visit, it was more like she was part rock star. But something about the way Blair always argued with Julisa told her that Blair still held a pull over how Julisa felt.

"Julisa?"

She turned to see a girl with nearly black hair and blue sideburns looking curiously at her.

"Julisa Emerson? The girlfriend of him?"

Julisa was glad the girl hadn't said it out loud. Jim wanted to keep pulling Ember along as a means of some plan of his. "Who're you?"

"Don't have to be angry." She waved her hands slightly. "I'm just a spectator to this world." Something about the smile was familiar. "Still, it's nice to see that some people don't really change. I'm Alice. It's just Alice."

"Alice. Well, leave me alone."

"Okay." Alice held her hands up in surrender. "I was just saying 'hello', Julisa. Anyways, I was hoping you wouldn't blow up on me. Good luck." She smiled and vanished through the crowd of girls.

Julisa had _no_ idea what that was about.

-Jim-

He pushed off the wall when Alice came out. "Well?"

"She thinks you're nuts."

Jesse punched Alice's arm. "Don't be mean!"

They exchanged the exact same look.

Jim touched his forehead with the tips of his fingers. "Ugh, just tell me what her reaction was."

"Well, for starters, I don't think she likes being called Julisa Emerson. I did notice that she was relieved I didn't say your name out loud. Oh, and she wants me to 'leave me alone' from now on." Alice smiled brightly at Jim. "Now, if anybody cares, I want to change and get back to _my_ class."

Jesse smiled again and looked up at Jim. "Aw, don't be so sour!"

"I'm about to, mate." Jim stretched and then noticed Jesse's stare. "What?"

"Oh, nuthin'!" Jesse held his hands up in surrender. "Just that ya'll've got that distant look 'gain."

"What?"

Jesse went running off and Jim had half a mind to chase him. He looked at the locker room door and decided against his current thought.

He wanted Ember out of Julisa's hair. He was going out of his way to make Ember stay as far away as possible. But in order to do that, he had to give her something. It was a give-and-take situation with the clingy girl. But it made him miss Julisa more and more.

He left the area, his heart torn, slightly. He wanted to be stay and wait, but Ember would find him there and then so would Inez, to which he would hurt Julisa's feelings...

-Alice and Jesse-

"I'm _not_ going over there."

"But it's _right_ there!"

"Still, I'm not going over there!"

"Then I'll go."

Alice grabbed Jesse's arm. "It's a _girl_'s locker room. Jess, someone might see you!"

"Better 'n ya'll bein' cowards."

Alice looked over her shoulder at Alexis and Atticus, who had, miraculously, agreed to Jesse's plan. "Okay, so, let's say you find her. What's to say Jim hasn't already been here?"

"That."

Everyone looked where Alexis was pointing.

Jim was taking a nap on the outside glass panes. Since they were slanted, he could stay there for hours. His hat was covering his face and his hands were tucked behind his head. His boots held the edge of the glass with their heels.

Alice sighed and then saw Ember coming. She heard Inez and decided there was no turning back.

She lunged out, glaring at Jesse as she went. "Ember! Inez! I wasn't expecting such friendly faces." Her smile was fixed, and, since she could pull of a charm that made most boys swoon, she didn't have to strain. Slowly, Jesse's charisma was coming through.

"What do _you_ want?"

"Oh, nothing. I just wanted to see what new wears you were wearing today." Alice gave her little smile. Her hands were dug into her pockets and her eyes portrayed Jesse. Ember and Inez were head over heels for the new boys, so, being Jesse's twin didn't hurt. "Looks good, only, I don't get the whole teeth and ropes."

"Oh, it's for Jim. Do you like it?"

Everything clicked for Jesse right then. Jim was pulling Ember out of the way by pretending all he wanted was her. Which, in turn, caused Jim to miss Julisa even more. So, that kept their "flame" alive and burning bright. No wonder Jim got jittery whenever they mentioned Julisa and she wasn't around.

Poor guy missed her.

But something happened then that _nobody_ expected.

The girl's locker room door opened. Blair and Julisa stood stock still as Ember's words escaped into the air.

"Jim's _so_ cheating on Julisa for me."


	11. Chapter 11: Pent Up and Let Out

There was this kind of thickness to the air, now. It was as if too many years had passed since the feeling of movement had circulated the air.

But, at the same time, the air was charged with so much emotion that it was impossible to breath. And the object of most of the emotion was Alice, poor, inconvenient, caught-in-the-middle Alice.

Julisa dropped her bag and it resonated within the halls. Her eyes were wide and her throat was harshly constricted. Julisa's knees began to buckle and sway. She felt uneasy and nauseous. It was as if every second Jim had been gone had been accounted for. All his mysterious ways of slipping away, but still being there with Julisa. All those little quirks about how weird Ember was.

Everything clicked.

Well, almost everything.

"Alice..." Jesse ran out to save his sister from more than intense, scrutinizing eyes. "Alice! Come back!"

She staggered back into Jesse as Ember approached.

"You set me up! You purposely caused me to stand here and admit Jim's secret! How dare you, you little dirt wipe!"

Jesse knew Alice all to well and dragged her away, but not before...

Inez, Alexis, Atticus, Julisa, and Blair would never have guessed that a girl like Alice could swear like that. She swore loud, proud, and vulgar. Most of them were low blows to Ember's ego and fashion, but one hit just the right note it needed to to get the effect Alice must've been looking for.

She smirked when she saw how appalled Ember looked.

Jesse quickly swung Alice about and held her on the other side, holding off Ember, who was bearing her teeth and clawed hands at the already outraged Alice. "Wait, wait, wait! I can explain this! Can you _please_ just calm down?" he asked, his voice at a higher decibel than speaking.

"Get your filth out of my sight! You're all beneath my grade of friendship!"

And then it came.

Something Blair had waited a good five weeks for.

Julisa lunged out of nowhere and took down Ember, hard. She was yanking on the hair, scratching at the face, and, going so far as to punching Ember. Julisa's fury was something Blair had learned to just let out. If it was pent up long enough, dueling Julisa after a harsh cat scratching was going to send you to your death bed, literally. But Blair was more proud of Julisa's rage at the fact that Julisa's friends were now "beneath" her "new" friend.

It seemed like perfect timing, but Jesse and Blair could tell that the damage was done.

Jim was picking up Julisa, away from Ember, and was trying to call her back to sanity. His words weren't going to reach her.

Alexis and Atticus ran out to restrain Ember, who was also in a fit of rage, but nothing as spectacular as Julisa. Her face was already lined with pink, swelling scratches, her perfect hair was now a heap of tangles, and her lip bled, which matched the red marks on her arms from Julisa's fists.

Alice fought her way out of Jesse's grip and walked up to Jim and Julisa.

Julisa was leaning on the wall and Jim was standing near. They both looked at Alice, who gave a weary glance at Jim before approaching Julisa. "What do you want? You've already ruined it."

"Here." Alice raised a hand to reveal the handkerchief from her pocket. "You've got something on your face." She seemed to regret what had happened between her and Ember, but not between Julisa and Ember. "It had to come out somehow. I could hear it in your voice. Come, I can help you take out Ember's ego, too."

Julisa's eyes narrowed as she wiped Ember's spit off her face. "If it means the truth hurts, then I'd rather recover from this suffered blow first."

"Wonder what your pathetic brother would say about his embarrassing sister?" Ember asked to nobody.

Since there were three girls who had older brothers, that was a snide remark that hit real low. Alice, however, was the first to act. She turned around and swore at Ember, challenging her and her larger-than-life ego. Alexis, by some unknown means, twisted Ember's arm and started ratting on her about how her brother wasn't pathetic and she wasn't an embarrassment to him. Of course, when Julisa reacted, she had to be restrained.

Things really were going to escalate out of control when-

"SILENCE!"

Viper's voice seemed to drop on them like a mute button. They cowered before him, since he'd yelled.

"Sir," Blair cautioned. When he didn't snap at her, she proceeded. "It's not as bad as it looks."

Viper agreed. "However, be silent if you wish to destroy each other. Classes _are_ in session." He turned and left the scene.

Julisa grabbed her bag and glared at Ember. She threw Alice's handkerchief on the ground and marched off.

Blair quickly followed, calling for Julisa to stop.

Alice and Jesse stood on either side of Jim, watching the procession end with Ember being dragged away by Atticus and Alexis.

It didn't take long for-

"The freaking heck?" Jim demanded, turning on the twins.

They shrunk back.

"Did you cause this? Was this some evil trick of yours?" His voice was starting to get louder. "I don't understand! What's the meaning of this? Why did you do this to me?"

Jesse held out a hand. "Wait, lower yer voice! Ya'll'll scare Alice!"

"I don't give a rat's-!"

"Stop!" Alice threw her hands over her ears. "W-we just wanted J-Julisa to s-stop suspecting y-you o-of things!" There were tears going down her face. She was shaking all over.

Jesse sighed and decided to explain. "Julisa, fer some reason, thought somethin' was weird 'bout the way ya talked 'bout Ember. She wanted ta know what it was. I decided I'd find out, and, lo and behold, I did. Much ta the dismay of both friends and enemies. But I was hopin' it wouldn't end so badly. If I'd know that, I'd take it back." Jesse sighed deeply and held his hands up in surrender. "But I gotta admit, ya had everybody fooled."

Jim's eyes widened. '_It's there, the one-sided truth is there._' He turned on his heel and ran. '_I forget, sometimes, that you keep things pent up. If you wouldn't hold it all in, maybe you can let it all out. Why won't you say it out loud?_'


	12. Chapter 12: If It All Comes Back

His thunderous footsteps kept in time with his racing heart that thundered into his head.

It wasn't... fair!

"JIM! JIM, WAIT!"

He slowed to a stop, his breath coming in short as he looked about the walk way. He had to find Julisa, and, if he knew better, she'd probably be hiding in the forest somewhere.

A hand came out and grabbed Jim's elbow. Alice was heaving gulps of air as she held onto him. She wasn't looking at Jim and he had a gut feeling that the reason was because he yelled at her. "Jim, wait... I can... tell you where... she went." Alice doubled over and started to gulp down more air.

Jim waited, but his impatience was growing.

Finally; "Julisa used to hide, when you weren't here, in her self-made tree fort that she and Blair used to use as a hiding place when they'd get into trouble. I know the general direction, but that's it." Alice made a little shove to move Jim. He was faced towards his usual spot to nap with Shirley. "Go that way." Alice pointed about ten degrees to his left. "You should find her."

Jim was about to when, instead of moving his feet, moved his mouth. "Why should I believe you?" He rounded on her, anger flaring. "I don't even know if you want me to get back with her! Ever since I got here, all you people do is throw all my faults in my face!"

Alice didn't shrink back, not yet, anyways.

"How the devil do you want me to believe you now, huh? You and your brother are good-for-naught ingrates!"

This time, Alice didn't back down at the elevation of his voice. She stiffened her shoulders and raised her head. Her angered face met Jim's lashing out squarely and he blinked back his surprise. "Don't call my brother a good-fer-naught! Jus' 'cause you think I'm a wast o' space dun mean you call my bro that!" She slapped Jim pretty hard. "Jess and I just wanted you and Julisa ta not be at odds! And all you go and do is ruin it all!"

Jim opened his mouth to protest Alice's perspective when she punched his arm. Not like a girl, mind you.

"And ya dun care! You don't get it! Julisa suspected you liked Ember! We wanted her to hear what we heard! All the lies Ember says! All the things she wants to believe! Julisa and I really hate a good friend going down..." Alice had broken down crying when she shoved Jim. "Just go. Find her yourself. Some friends we are."

Jim gawked at her before she, again, hit him. Only this time, it was a kick that, aiming for the knee, hit hard. Jim felt the pain and numbingly staggered back two steps. Alice was walking away, shaking her head and pinching, slapping, and stepping on parts of her own body as she walked back to Jesse, who was standing in the entry way, holding the door open.

Jim opened his mouth when-

WHAM!

He staggered forward a few feet. He felt something hit him in the back, both on the head and middle of his back. He looked around after his hat fell off.

Julisa was sniffing as she recollected her things. She slapped Jim's hand away when he tried to help her up. "Go back to your girlfriend. I'm sure she's waiting for you."

Jim knelt down. He touched Julisa's shoulder. "Let me at least explain myself, mate?"

Julisa stood up and raised her heavy dictionary. She slammed it into Jim's already punched arm and then his other arm. "Just go away! Go. A. Way! I. Don't. Want. You. Around!" She shoved him back with the dictionary and stomped away, leaving her things strewn across the walkway.

-Blair-

"-no-good, dirty, low-life, toe-jammed, piece of-!"

"BLAIR!" Jesse stood up. "That's enough. We have to do something. We came here for your suggestions. If all you're going to do is rat on us, then wait until after we fix the mistake."

Alexis smirked. "Jesse, she wasn't talking about you. She was continuing our conversation from gym."

"Yeah, because that little, butt-faced, twisted, backwards, cold-hearted, filthy-"

"Blair, be nice."

They all turned to see Alice. She looked somewhat beaten.

"Why? You saw how she lied! She's such a snake! Thinking she can ruin people!"

"Blair, I need a favor." Alice came into the light of the room and they were all taken aback by her appearance. She had twigs and leaves and bits of greenery strewn all over her and there were some red marks showing on her face. There was also something running red down her chin from her lips. "Blair, go find Jim. I've got an idea. But it needs to happen before sundown today. If not, I don't know when we'll get them again."

Jesse's face was confused, then he saw Alice's eyes twinkle and he smiled brightly. He knew what she was up to.


	13. Chapter 13: Begin the Cat Fight!

Jim was sitting under a tree with Jesse... actually, Jesse was hanging out _in_ the tree and Jim was sitting below him. "Well, what now, mate?" he asked, his hand coming down to rest on Shirley's head.

Jesse seemed to be off in his own world for a second. "We wait for Alice. She said it was important."

Sure as rain, Alice appeared right then. She was out of breath and looked quite flustered. "Jim! Jesse!" There was an unexpected rage to her voice and it sounded almost as if she had just been in a heated argument with someone who just couldn't get along with her. "It's horrid! Julisa and Ember are challenging each other!"

Jim sprang to his feet. "What?"

"Alice! Where are you, you stupid-!" Julisa stopped when she saw Jim and her eyes darkened. "Alice, Ember and Inez aren't going to wait all day. What do you want with him anyways?"

Jesse heard the twang of pain at that last sentence. Still, Alice's idea was working out well so far. Jim hadn't tried to explain himself again and Julisa hadn't tried to strangle him yet. Alice had the right mindset to make it work, but now, it was up to Julisa's will to have Jim again against Ember's will to get her way.

"Er, wanna come, bro?" she called to Jesse in the tree as Julisa started to drag her away.

Jesse hopped down. "Let's go, Jimmy-boy!" He snatched up Jim's arm before the taller boy could protest. They followed the two girls.

-Julisa-

She was standing proud beside Alice, who was looking down, somewhat ashamed of something.

Jim found Blair by herself, away from Jaden and crew. She had her hands clasped tightly together and was on the edge of her seat. Jesse went to sit beside her and Jim decided to follow suit. He set Shirley down in the aisle.

Blair was in the corner of Julisa's eye and she made a little sniff sound. Alice looked up and Julisa narrowed her eyes.

"Why, exactly, am _I_ here?" Alice asked.

"You're the one who got me into this whole mess. You're going to own up to your actions!" Julisa noticed Jim. "Not to mention you said he would tell me everything if I dueled _her_."

The way Julisa said "her" gave Alice gooseflesh.

"Still..." Alice shrugged. "It can't be all bad, right? I mean, Jim's watching. This'll be the first time you duel before him..."

Julisa blinked, the rage momentarily gone, before she glared at Alice. "You're still not going to own up to it, are you?"

Alice blinked. "I'll apologize my own way," she said quietly.

Ember yelled a "hey, ugly!" to get their attention. She smiled and put a hand on he hip. "You two gonna talk or what? I'm not a patient camper, you know."

"Yeah, _I know_," Julisa said, raising her Duel Disk arm, activating it as she held it up. "You're gonna be sorry you pissed me off." Julisa gave a low growl, like some kind of animal. "I don't take kindly to people stealing from me. And I don't take kindly to stranger stepping into my life."

"We're not strangers, we're just frienemies."

Julisa made a tight fist. "Let me tell you something, girly! I was raised an orphan! My brother's name is Jordan. I grew up in the bush, where things aren't easy and don't come easy. I've learned to duel with a heart of gold, a fist of stone, and nerves of diamonds! I won't back down from someone who used me."

"Then why duel with her at your side?"

Julisa glanced sideways at Alice. Her eyes became cold and cruel as she looked back at Ember. "Some friends you know forever, mate, and some you learn to live with."

Jim, sitting in the stands, was startled. That was the same words he had told his professor when they asked about Shirley. She was more of a sister than a friend, but the words had struck deep at his own heart that someone would remember. They were just words to him, but, he guessed, they meant a lot more to Julisa...

"Alice is the one who told me Jim was available! If you think you can steal Jim away from someone who deserves his kisses, you've got another thing coming!"

Julisa's voice rose to a yell. "I don't care. You think it matters to me? She's helped me pick up the pieces! I can finally see clearly what's wrong with me. You don't own me, Ember Draco! I'm not your pet and you're going to eat those words!"

Jim swallowed and felt Blair touch his knee.

"She means it." Blair smiled at Jim. "I've known her long enough. She meant it when she said you learn to live with people." The smile became sad. "Once upon a time, Julisa would've been strong enough to hold back her fury. This time..." She looked out, over the arena. "She's got a good head on her shoulders, a new friend to push her on, and someone watching out for her."

Jim knew what that meant and smiled.


	14. Chapter 14: Take 'Em Out, Prt 1

Julisa put her hand on her deck. Moment of truth.

"Draw!" Julisa held it up to her vision and smiled. "I set two cards Face-Down. Your move, little witch."

Ember smirked. "Not a strong start." She held her own card up. "I play Princess in Attack Mode!" She looked to Alice. "Go ahead, punk."

Alice didn't wait for Ember to finish her statement. "I play three cards Face-Down and one monster in Face-Down Defense. All you."

Inez threw two cards down and it was Julisa's turn.

She put her hand on her deck and took a calming breath. "My move." As the card slid out of the deck, she felt it's old texture and knew that her old cards still held her head up. She looked to be sure and threw it on the field. "I play Master Tamer! If I successfully summon Master Tamer I can bring out this boy from my hand! Say g'day to my old mate, Kraken!"

Master Tamer was a fully armored guy and the Kraken was a rather large creature that was remaining around Master Tamer.

"Since its my move, I'm going to destroy your Princess." Julisa threw her hand out and pointed right at Princess. "Kraken, take her out!"

"Julisa, you forget that Princess is still stronger!"

Julisa just smiled. "Master Tamer's special ability is that if the Kraken attacks a monster in Attack Mode, the Kraken destroys the monster and is taken out of play for one turn." She swiped the Kraken off the field and was about to put it away when they heard Alice.

"I activate my Face-Down! Return to Me! If a card on my field is removed from play, instead of being removed from play, it's returned to the hand!" Alice smiled at Julisa. "I was hoping to use it on me, but, hey, you'll do fine with it, too."

Julisa thanked Alice with a glance. "I end my turn."

Ember gritted her teeth and drew a card. "I play Mighty Knight and attack Alice!"

Alice gawked for a second and then threw her hand out. "I play my Face-Down! Cheshire's Deck! This card is a continuous and doesn't allow anyone to attack me directly. So long as I destroy one card in my Deck and send it to the Grave."

Ember just smiled. "Mighty Knight's special ability, dear Alice, is that it can only attack you directly if it cuts it's points in half and if you've got a Continuous on the field!"

Alice gasped and covered her head as the blast made contact.

Julisa's rage at Ember was growing. Alice had been right, if Jim showed up, he cared enough to cheer her on. And there it was, above all else...

"Julisa, c'mon. I know you're better than that, mate."

She twisted around and looked at Jim, who was leaning on the chair in front of him, his elbows propped on it. He smiled his warm, gentle smile.

"You can do this, I know you can."

She flushed and quickly looked away. She had to focus...

Inez attacked Master Tamer and Julisa just smiled to herself. Jim's faith was going to prove her right.

"Not so fast, henchman!" She threw her hand to the side to reveal a Trap. "I activate Forest Trap Revival! This Trap Card allows me to draw two cards. When I discard one, you get a fifty-fifty chance of guessing what card I'm holding. Trap, Spell, or Monster Card!" Julisa smiled evilly. They were both Spell Cards, one was Mastered the Jungle and the other was Making a Grave. She tossed Making a Grave into the Graveyard. "Guess which one, mate."

Inez pointed at her hand. "It's got to be a Spell Card!"

"Good, joker. I play Mastered the Jungle! This card allows me to summon a monster from my Deck! I summon Snapping Turtle in Defense Mode." She slapped the creature down and shuffled her deck. "As you were, Inez."

Master Tamer re-directed the attack and hit the Snapping Turtle, who hadn't been destroyed, but Julisa took a hundred points of damage.

Alice put her hand on her deck. "My move!"


	15. Chapter 15: Take 'Em Out, Prt 2

Alice looked at her card and there was an obvious sign of being nervous. She placed it in her hand and looked at her last Face-Down before she pointed at her monster. "I flip my Hero's Gladiator into Face-Up Attack Mode and activate his Flip-Effect." She put her hand on her deck. "Julisa, you and I get to draw cards until we draw an Effect Monster."

Julisa nodded and started drawing cards. She looked sideways at Alice and noticed Alice had drawn four cards. Julisa had to only draw two. She looked at her cards again. They were The Man-Eater and her favorite card that her brother had found for her.

"Now, we can activate that monster without any restraints as long as we both sacrifice one-thousand Life Points!" Alice threw down the monster in Attack Mode. "I summon The Fossil Guardian! When he's on the field no monster can be destroyed if it's a Fossil, Beast, or contains the word Man!"

Julisa looked at her brother's card and smiled. She slapped her card down. "I summon the Man Ruler! As a sacrifice, our side of the field must remove all but one card in our hand to the Graveyard! In five turns, we can draw cards until we hold six cards each!"

Alice stopped Julisa. "Fossil Guardian's second special ability kicks in! Man Ruler can destroy one of your Spell or Trap Cards! Guess which one I chose!" Alice pointed right at Mighty Knight. "I'm going to sacrifice one-thousand Life Points to allow Fossil Guardian to attack your Mighty Knight!"

"What for?" Ember asked, her voice almost hysterical.

Fossil Guardian's blade pierced through Mighty Knight's body, destroying him and the blade grazed Ember's cheek.

"And that was for what you did to Jesse!" She made a fist-pump in the air, a rage nobody had ever seen before in Alice. "By taking away one-thousand Life Points during my partner's turn, Fossil Guardian can take twelve-hundred Life Points from you!"

Julisa shook her head and put her hand on her Deck. "My-!"

"Stop!" Inez smiled. "When my Trap Card has been on the field for three of my turns without me attacking a monster, I can activate it! So, I activate Negative Feeling! You end your turn when you draw that card and it's Ember's turn!"

Julisa didn't complain, she just drew her card and smiled. "Very well, go on, Ember. Show me what pretty girls are made of."

Ember smiled. "Gladly! I play Judgement of Faces! This is a Continuous Spell that takes a nice amount of damage to you. For every Continuous Spell on the field, both of you will lose one-thousand Life Points!"

Julisa gasped and looked at Alice's side of the field. Cheshire's Deck was still in play!

Alice took it in stride. She was about to draw when Inez spoke up again.

"If you draw that card, I can destroy your monsters!" She threw her hand out and her last Face-Down revealed itself. "Detonation of the Fairy Tale allows me to destroy all your monsters during your Draw Phase and Remove them from play!"

Alice still drew the card. "Pitty, I've got something in my Grave that will help with that matter." The explosion shrouded her in a plume of smoke and dust.

"ALICE!"

Everyone looked up. Jesse was standing up, worry etched in the lines of his face. "That was unfair, you!"

"Jesse! Shut _up_!" Alice's side of the field had a sudden hurricane of wind and she was revealed. There were two cards flanking her. "I reveal Twins For Life and Lost Love in the Pond."

Julisa raised an eyebrow. She'd never heard of either.

"You see, my bro and I are twins. Pegasus created two cards that were specially designed for my four decks. Twins For Life destroys all Continuous Spells on the field at the price of four cards from my Grave." She drew the cards out. "By removing Hasten to Your Grave from my Graveyard and out of play, I can grant one player on this field five-thousand Life Points. Julisa, soak up the water, girl, you'll need it." Alice pointed to her last card. "Now, Lost Love in the Pond activates!"

Julisa watched her Life Point meter shoot up to eighty-nine-hundred Life Points when-

"Lost Love in the Pond means that we all have to sacrifice two cards from the Grave. If the cards we remove are Spell, Trap, or Flip-Effect Monsters, we lose four-thousand Life Points. If we remove a normal Monster from the Grave, we gain five-hundred Life Points."

Alice gave Julisa a weary smile. "It's all you." She showed her two Spell Cards and there was a small red blip in front of her. Inez had the same.

Julisa locked eyes with the girl who, single-handed, destroyed her friendships with the people who actually mattered. Before Julisa and Ember was two, bright, white orbs.

"Julisa, remember Jim's rooting for you."

Julisa was turning to look at Alice when the red blips exploded, shattering the cards and sending a shock wave through the air. Julisa had to brace herself and watched as Alice and Inez were slowly lifted off the ground and backwards. They were angled into the stands and the impact left pieces of the chairs flying. Both girls were out of sight, behind plumes of gray smoke and dust.

"ALICE!" came four voices.

Blair.

Jim.

Jesse.

And...


	16. Chapter 16: Take 'Em Out, Prt 3

Julisa ripped around, her teeth gritted and her heart aching and pounding in her throat. "You ain't gettin' off now, mate."

"It was her fault," Ember said, nonchalantly. She didn't seem to care that Inez was bleeding or injured or even gone from her side.

Julisa stepped into center command. She planted her feet firmly on the ground. "I'm not gonna be nice to you, mate." Her thick accent was coming through and she tilted her head down. "My bro, Jo, used to tell me I was a rose with too sharp thorns, mate. He said nobody would regret my friendship. Mate, he's told me a lot." She lifted her head. "Fer someone to sacrifice all they are fer me ain't goin' down without me, mate!" She put her hand to her Deck. "I can still use Alice's card she left me! Let's go, mate!"

Her hand ripped the air as she drew her card. "I play this li'l pup!" A giant gator appeared behind her, taking up the stands behind her with teeth sharper than needles and eyes redder than blood. "Meet Gator Monster! Jo's favorite card! He allows me to keep it now that he don't play, mate. Before that, say hooroo to this guy." She swiped her Man Ruler off the field and into the Grave. "By doing that, Gator Monster gains another fifteen-hundred points! That's a grand total of three-thousand points!"

Ember gritted her teeth. "Try me," she hissed, like a snake ready to strike.

Julisa gritted her teeth, glaring at Ember. "Gator Monster! Attack her Mighty Knight!"

Ember just smiled and let her monster be destroyed, taking only twelve-hundred points of damage. "My draw! I play two cards from my hand! First is Jester's Thorny Crown. For the next two turns, you take two-thousand points of damage and I gain five-hundred for each thousand you lose. Next, I activate Planetarium of the North! For every card removed from play this turn, I can take your Life Points equal to one-thousand per card."

Jim bit his lip. That meant that Julisa would lose, either way...

Julisa felt an eye on her and turned to see Jesse holding Alice up. Alice's eyes were foggy, but she was looking in Julisa's direction. Her lips moved and Julisa understood her silent words.

"Hey, whenever you're ready, loser."

Julisa put her hand on her deck for a moment and then lowered her arms, standing up-right. Her head was down and her eyes stung. She turned around and faced the friends she'd come to know and who knew exactly who she was. She lifted her arms and her face and gave them a warm smile. She opened her hands, as if stretching. "Don't let me down now, mate! I want you to feel like yer part of this!" She turned back to Ember, her hand on her Deck once more.

"Ready to lose the new guy to me?"

Julisa didn't move. "You know something? I missed a lot of things while I was here. I missed my cousin's wedding. I missed my brother's return trip home. I even missed my old friends graduating early to start their career as duelists. But I've witnessed a friend you can't deny, a band of family that I won't soon forget, and a new face that won't ever fade. Now, I'm going to show you that your little tricks don't work on pretty tough girls. DRAW!"

Her hand glided, seamlessly, into the air. "Before I do much else, I activate Alice's Face-Down! Memoir to the Band of Friends! This card allows me to take all but one of my Life Points and deal you damage equal to that!"

"Jester's Thorny Crown negates majority of that-"

"I'm not done yet." Julisa's commanding voice echoed in the arena. "Memoir to the Band of Friends has a side effect. If negated, I can use a card that was removed from play. I activate Making a Grave! This card allows me to take every card from your Grave and removed from play to deal you five-hundred points of damage. Making a Grave, combined with Memoir to the Band of Friends, takes out all of your Life Points before your two cards can even hit me!"

Julisa took a breath and then gritted her teeth as Ember took the hit and the holograms turned off.

Ember raised her head and glared down Julisa. "I _won't_ lose to the likes of you!"

She lunged at the unexpected Julisa, who threw her arms up in defense and-


	17. Chapter 17: Tough Girls Smile

WHAM!

Jim grabbed the back of the chair in front of him and jumped over, onto the arm rest of the row in front. His nimble feet helped him get down the rows faster than an antelope in the forests. He came down to grab Ember. He threw her aside and yanked Julisa to her feet.

Julisa was bleeding from her nose, but she didn't care. "Cut snake!" she spat at Ember.

Jim gawked at her for a moment before he looked at Ember.

Ember stood up, her lip cut and a nice bruise forming on her right cheek. "What? What the devil are you talking about?"

Julisa touched her upper lip and saw the blood. She glared at Jim. "Leave the quid to me, mate. Don't think this is your bowl of rice, if you get my drift."

Jim stepped back. "If that's your choice." He gave her a warm smile and jumped back up to help Jesse dislodge Alice's ankle from the two broken chairs at her point of impact. "Just be careful."

Julisa took a defensive stance and smirked at Ember. "You haven't got a clue what you're about to do, mate. You'll go down without a pain from me."

"You called me a 'quid' just now. What the devil are you talking about?"

"A quid is an imbecile. You're such a bogan, mate. I'm not yer play thing anymore." Julisa watched Ember come at her and saw an opening.

She ducked and grabbed Ember's stomach. The cloth was pulled tight as she yanked it into a fist. She turned and threw Ember onto her back. Julisa didn't force anything unnecessary on Ember's body, but still held her down.

"And I thought you were lady-like, mate. Boy, I was wrong about you, mate. You're such a quid." She smiled and released Ember. "Take your defeat with pride. It means that you still have much to achieve. You'll learn to live with who and what you are." She cleared her throat, her heavy accent dissipating. "Now, I've got a friend to worry about." Julisa turned her back on Ember.

Jim watched Julisa come up to the group, who were trying to force the two metal pieces away from Alice. He smiled and touched the tip of his hat. "Good on ya, mate."

"Ace," Julisa whispered. She knelt down and touched Alexis' shoulder. "Allow me, Alexis."

Julisa set her right foot on the ground and her left against the upper-most metal piece. She braced the other piece against her shoulder. She lifted her foot off the ground and started to pull the pieces apart. She heard a soft snap and-

"OW!" Alice screamed. She grabbed onto Jesse's shirt front and was covering her face.

Julisa grabbed Alice's foot, putting pressure on the ankle so Alice's nerves wouldn't feel the open air. "Grab a teacher! Someone! I can't hold her forever. She's going to need Miss Fontaine's 'magic touch', which I lack. Hurry!"

Jim scooted closer when the "wonder twins" shot up and darted for help. "Hey, can I help, mate?" he asked, unsure of where he stood in Julisa's eyes.

Julisa reached out a hand. "I can't put all the pressure. Assistance is good." She smiled at him.

Not her dingy, recent smile, but her strong, warm, kind smile he remembered from the days, years before she'd vanished from his life. It brought back all the memories he had long since squashed. But it felt closer to his heart than other smiles he'd seen on old, forgotten friends.

"Jim?"

"Yeah?" He slipped his hand under Alice's ankle.

Julisa leaned over and her breath grazed Jim's ear. "I. Love. You."

His face heated up faster than a bolt of lighting shot through charged air. "Yeah, I know that one."


	18. Chapter 18: If I Asked

Alice threw the pillow at Jim. "Go away!"

"But-!"

Alice picked up the lamp and held it like a bat. "Go away or I'll use brute force!"

Jesse was dying of laughter against the far wall, watching this whole thing unfold. Chazz, Blair, and Jaden were all gawking at the sight, mostly out of fear of Alice's brute force. Alexis and Atticus were waiting outside the door for the poor Aussie...

"Wait! Let me-!"

WHACK!

Jim had managed to dodge that one... barely.

Alice held the lamp up again. "Go. A. Way. Now!"

Jim backed up. "Fine!"

Julisa, who was hiding behind Alice finally breathed when the door closed.

Blair slapped her on the back of the head. "Stop it! It's not something to be all... you know."

Julisa rubbed the back of her head. "Hey, I'm just not all that ready for what he asked, that's all."

Alice put the lamp down. Her anger had been faked, but now her foot was sore from all the running around. She plopped onto her bed. "How long do you plan on avoiding the topic, then?" Alice asked. She had to ask the blunt question nobody else would ask.

Blair opened her mouth to warn Alice when-

"Dunno. A week?"

"It's been seventeen days, Julisa." Jesse made a "whatever" shrug and sat beside his sister.

If Alice's hair was lighter and shorter, you'd never be able to tell the difference. Alice was almost flat as a board and Jesse was feminine for a boy, so, almost hard to tell... if it wasn't for the bloody hair...

"Why do you guys even car?"

Jesse and Chazz looked at each other before they both looked at Alice.

All eyes fell on poor, helpless, stupid Alice...

Alice was looking at her hands. With a deep sigh she looked up. "I've met Jim before. When he wasn't with you. Before he came here. After you left he was a bit... depressed? Down in the mouth? Sour? He was more bitter than he is now. I kind of envied you. No guy ever felt like that around me..." She took a deep breath. "I'm not going to go into a whole life story about this, but I can say this." She held up her hands in a bit of surrender. "Jim wouldn't stop talking about you."

There was an energy in the room, as if everyone was relying on Alice to land the final blow.

Alice put her hands down and looked Julisa right in the eye. The intensity of her aquamarine eyes bore into Julisa's soul, right through her tough-girl act, right through her could-be-in-love act, right into her head-over-heels-in-love part.

"He talked about how Jo was his best friend. He spoke of how he watched you grow into something beautiful. He watched you become a woman he would come to admire. He became obsessed with you to the point he felt like he was stalking you." Alice's intense stare became softer around the edges with the next sentence. "He feared he'd lose you to his insane way of loving you." The softness turned to something like a mixture of envy, trust, and something unfamiliar. "He loved you by _making_ you be close to him. He didn't care that everyone stared. He didn't care that you were upset some days. He didn't even care when you'd snort Gatorade out your nose when you laughed too hard. He was shattered when you had to leave. But he stood strong. Believing he'd see you again."

Alice stood up and approached Julisa. "I don't get it. How did you...?"

Alice took Julisa's hands in her own. "I met Jim because I'm the one who decided who was coming here. Jesse was a winner, hands-down. But Brodie, Geko, and Cook were three that had to be tested. Jim was my last 'stop' and I wasn't too eager. Axel and Adrien made me think Jim was going to be stuck up." She squeezed Julisa's hands. "You have to believe there's something there. Why else would Jim have been trying so hard to get here?"

"But he's asking the impossible!"

"No, he's asking the simplest thing," Blair finally said. She came over and gave Julisa her 'I know all about it' smile that always made Julisa think Blair knew something. "He just wants you to be there when it happens, that's all."

Jesse suddenly gasped. "Look out! He's coming back!"

They all looked at the door, except Alice. She suddenly lifted the bedsheets. "That's why..."

Julisa didn't have to look, but she did open the door. Jim jumped and then relaxed.

"Can I speak with you?" He was trying to be proper.

Julisa shook her head. "Forget about it."

Shirley suddenly fell on Julisa. Julisa, being stronger than she'd expected, only buckled a bit. From surprise. She turned around and noticed Alice was still holding onto the back of Shirley.

"Present for you?"

Jim burst out laughing and Julisa looked at him.

As her hair settled to frame her face, her eyes widened and lit up like a sparkler. Her cheeks flushed a dull pink before she looked away again.

Alice shrugged. "Take her. She makes me feel weird when I'm sleeping..."

Jim nodded and took Shirley off Julisa's back, literally. "Can I speak to you? Privately?" he whispered to Julisa.

"No. There's no discussion about this." Julisa touched Jim's shoulder and walked off.

Jim sighed and set Shirley down. She crawled back under Alice's bed.

"Am I missing something?" he asked the room at large.

Nobody spoke. Until Alice couldn't stand the silence anymore.

"Jim, she's going. I felt it. She's going, don't worry."

Jim whipped around. There was a flare of anger and a touch of irritation. "Why should I believe you? You're the one who dragged me here."

"No, you brought it upon yourself to come. I just gave you a legal reason to be here." Alice crossed her arms. "If you want, I can go over things that have drawn you here and what's keeping you here. This is an exchange program. Four students from here have gone to your schools. They're enjoying the time spent with other students. Are you?"

Jim's anger flared up then, like a volcano or a bottle put under too much pressure. It exploded and hit Alice like a tsunami. "What would you know? You've never had a boyfriend, so to speak! You've never been in love before! You don't even know what it's like to lose someone close!"

Alice cut him off right there. "I watched my mother get sandwiched between two cars and die slowly in a hospital bed with only me as a visitor! I watched my twin brother slip into a coma for months without a chance of coming out! I've watched my father become more and more violent! Don't tell me what I don't know!"

"Then stay out of this! You've caused enough damage!"

"Do you even hear yourself?" Alice's soft voice seemed to cut into Jim's anger and make it dissipate, pretty much instantly. "You haven't seen her cry. You haven't been there when she fell apart. You haven't been there to see her pick up the pieces. Blair was." Alice lifted her chin and her aquamarine eyes, which had bore into Julisa earlier, now came down on Jim.

Again, it pierced the facade of the man who wanted to be "the one", the facade of someone longing for something, and hit it's bulls-eye on Jim's want to be the happiness in Julisa.

"Blair isn't the one who's lifted Julisa above the life-shattering Ember. It wasn't Blair's friendship that was leading that duel. It wasn't my words or my stupidity leading Julisa's hands. It was her drive to be the best thing for you, Jim, that was beating Ember. It was the need to be everything to you that was drawing Julisa's strength to the surface." Alice closed her eyes. "Jim, I felt like I was dueling beside a girl who doesn't forgive nor forget. Jim, why ask her to stand beside you on Graduation Day? That's an insult to someone who doesn't need an invitation."

Jim didn't let the words sink in long before he bolted out the door and slammed it behind him.

Jesse smiled at Alice, who breathed and opened her eyes. "You like doing that, don't you?"

"Doing what?" Alice asked.

"Making people happy." Jesse got up and held Alice. "Just like with me, you're going to save another couple lives."

Blair was the only one _not_ feeling happy. She was anxious for the next few hours.

In two hours, Jesse, Adrien, Axel, and Jim would be graduating and be officially accepted as Duelists in the Dueling Community at large. The person who would award the badges was the one who would also present the duelists to the Dueling Community.

Jesse had Alice.

Axel had Chazz.

Adrien had Zane, shockingly.

But Jim had _asked_ Julisa...

That might be problematic...


	19. Chapter 19: Songs In My Head

Julisa pushed the vines aside and hugged herself again. She still had thirty minutes until the ceremony.

"Just don't give up, I'm workin' it out, Please don't-"

Julisa flipped her phone open. "Alice?"

"Hurry, hurry, hurry! It's almost time! C'mon!"

Julisa nodded and closed her phone. She looked at it and then flipped it open. Scrolling through her music, she found what she was looking for.

Dropping the phone into her pocket, she listened to the music as she made her way to the academy.

_Hey, slow it down, whataya want from me?  
Whataya want from me?  
Yeah, I'm afraid, whataya want from me?_

Julisa pushed the leaves aside, her mind elsewhere. The song was helping. Since it was reflecting her feelings.

_Once upon a time, I didn't give a damn,  
But now, here we are, so, whataya want from me?  
Whataya want from me?_

-Jim-

He watched Alice, Chazz, and Zane vanish through the doors. He was alone with Jesse, who, by some weird chance, was humming a song.

"Hey, Jim?"

"Mm?" he asked, staring at the bleak wall.

Jesse paused and then turned to Jim. "Don't worry. Alice has a way of reading people. She's normally not wrong, 'kay?"

Jim was about to protest when he heard music. Julisa normally played music when she was trying to focus on one task.

_But according to him; I'm beautiful, incredible,  
He can't get me out of his head,  
According to him; I'm funny, irresistible,  
Everything he ever wanted..._

Julisa came into view. She was doing something with her phone and walked right by the two boys and into the room Alice, Zane, and Chazz had vanished into, kicking the door closed with the back of her foot. It was as if she hadn't seen them at all.

"See?" Jesse said, nudging Jim in the ribs. "She's here."

Jim swallowed.

-Alice-

She was tapping the heel of her cast's shell on the floor as they awaited Sheppard. She and Julisa were listening to her music. Julisa, surprisingly, was a good singer when she wasn't belting it out.

_When you feel all alone,  
And a loyal friend is hard to find,  
You're caught in a one-way street,  
With the monsters in your head,  
When hopes and dreams are far away,  
And you feel like you can't face the day..._

Julisa noticed Alice glancing at her and smiled. "Do you ever get tired of being right?"

"Yes, actually. I'd like to be proven wrong more than right." Alice looked up as Sheppard stepped into the room.

"Let me explain things to you four. You'll be dueling alongside your chosen partners. For this to be an exhibition for the Dueling Community, the rules are these;

"Don't use weak cards unless they're useful for _BOTH_ of you.

"Let them show their worth, so, use a deck that allows your partner to show off.

"And lastly, use only what force necessary to keep both of you above water. Don't fail them."

Alice felt Julisa nudge her and the two girls giggled.

"Now, any questions?"

Zane looked up. "Do we have to be the partner and the presenter?"

"Yes. We chose you, Zane, because Axel intimidated too many people. Except Alice. But Jesse trusts Alice more than you, so..."

Zane didn't argue. He just crossed his arms and leaned on the wall. "What kind of 'award' are we giving?"

"Each of them will receive three tickets home, except Jesse, he gets two. They'll be able to take two extra people back to their home school. They'll also have a Duel Disk put in their honor."

"Why us?" Julisa asked.

Sheppard smiled. "All of you are already notable duelists on your own."

Everyone looked at each other.

Sheppard shook his head. "Zane is the King of the Cage in that sense. Chazz is the Prince of Dueling. Julisa is the Underdog. And Alice is the Innocent Doll. All of you have developed a name for yourselves. It's not a house-hold name for you three, but it's a name that duelists might look into. So, all of you have a foot-in when it comes to the Dueling Community."

"Yeah, and I won't be as famous as Kaiba, will I?" Julisa mumbled.

"The duels are in thirty minutes, get your decks and be at the roof Dueling Platforms in twenty."

They all agreed and Sheppard went out the way they'd come in.

Alice flipped open her Deck Box. "Ready?"

"No." Julisa looked at her black, leather-clad Deck Box with the hide's skin burned with an intricate vine with a single, bud of a rose. It was her "only use once" deck. "Can't hurt to fake experience."

Zane looked at the duo and they just smiled back. He shook his head and closed his eyes, resting both shoulders against the wall.

Chazz, on the other hand, was sifting through his decks and making little remarks and things for his own uses.

Julisa closed her eyes and swallowed. The words still buzzing in her head were; Trying hard not to hear, but they talk so loud, Their piercing sounds fill my ears, try to fill me with doubt.

* * *

"Whataya Want From Me?" by Adam Lambert, "According to You" by Orianthi, "Crash and Burn" by Savage Garden, and "Bleeding Love" by Leona Lewis


	20. Chapter 20: Forward to Never Alone

Jesse, Jim, Adrien, and Axel were lined up, ready for their audience.

This wasn't on the Duel Academy's main stage, this was on the rooftop arenas, where the outdoors could rip through at any moment via birds, wind, rain, or even the sun setting. But it was where Axel and Jim felt the most at home.

"Welcome one and all to the only tournament that you'll need to hyperventilate for! Today, four commonly known duelists will present four new duelists to our Dueling Community! Now, to introduce our contestants from all over the globe!" The announcer's voice was booming over the hum of generators for the cameras and TV antenna.

"Hailing from the Academy of Journey in Australia, James Cook! Hailing from the Crystal Academy in Russia, Adrien Gecko! Hailing from First Sailing Academy in America, Jesse Anderson! Hailing from the Grand Tree Academy in Africa, Axel Brodie!"

The four of them waved to the crowd in turn.

"Now, for the presenters!"

Jim held his breath. What was Julisa going to think? On the grand scale, he'd never been able to apologize to her. On public TV he might totally humiliate her...

"Introducing the King of the Duel, Zane Trusedale!" Zane earned a roar of applause. "Following him up the steps comes the Prince of the Duel Community, Chazz Princeton!" He earned just as much applause. "Coming up third is the Innocent Doll, Alicon Anderson!" There was a tremendous thunder in the air from the crowd. "Bringing up the rear, the Undertaking Underdog, Julisa Emerson!" There was a cheer that would've made the Aussie's back home proud.

Jim watched her approach him before he quietly looked away. How was he going to face her like this?

"Alright! Let's give these pairs figure things out as we take a short commercial break!"

Jim took a deep breath and faced her. "Julisa..." He was trying to find the words. She looked at him with those serene eyes that he'd grown to love. Her black vest was stark against her maroon shirt. There was a buckle around her left upper arm that matched her dark brown pants. Her strangely dark blue boots clashed magnificently with the maroon. "Would you do me a favor?"

She shrugged. "Depends..." She felt her heart jump into her throat. '_Is something wrong?_'

"Punch me," he whispered.

"What?" she practically screamed.

"Punch me, I'm having a bad day." '_Not true, but it'll help._'

"You kidding me? I'm not punching you!" she squeaked.

"Fine, then slap me." '_That would help, too._'

"Oo, that bad, huh?" She reached out and took hold of Jim's vest. She yanked him in and gave him a gentle kiss. Her lips were raw from biting them so much, but Jim could feel the petal soft touch. She released him and smiled. "Better?"

"No, now my head's spinnin', mate."

She smiled. "Don't worry, I'm here, I'll be here to catch _you_ this time."

"Alice," Jesse whispered, poking her in the side of the head. "Is that _your_ doing?"

"No, that's Zane's doing. You're boyfriends quite the looker, ein't he?"

"Alice, don't-"

Too late.

Zane gave Jesse his little smile.

Jesse's face turned redder than blood. "Alice, I'll kill you."

"Too bad, I'm your partner." She smiled. "It's a Double-Duel Tournament."

Jesse gawked. Axel, Adrien, and Jim had the same reactions.

Jim was about to say something when he noticed something over Julisa's shoulder.

Jaden, Aster, Alexis, Atticus, Tyranno, Syrus, and Blair were crowded around the door where the four presenters had come. They waved and gave Jim the thumbs-up, as if they'd approved of what Julisa and Jim were becoming.

Alice grabbed Julisa's arm. "C'mon! They're gonna start soon and we need to get our disks!" She looked up. "Oh, hi, Jim."

Jim raised his hand and Alice dragged Julisa away. "Wha...?"

Jesse answered. "You're duelin' me, buddy. Alice and Julisa're with us." Jesse patted the back of Jim's shoulder.

Jim did a face-palm before looking through his fingers at Jesse. "Not a good day, mate."

"Will be soon."


	21. Chapter 21: Everything Fades, Eventually

Julisa finally smiled and Jim felt his heart race.

Only five minutes earlier, they'd been dueling against Alice and Jesse. It was a draw, thanks to Alice's Lost Love in the Pond. Nobody had normal monsters and it ended in a Draw.

"Jim?"

"Mm...?"

"Your ship leaves in a few hours. Still think you'll make it?"

"Just like always, mate." He smiled. "Before that, Jesse and Alice wanted me to show you something." He was leading her down the bricked path.

Julisa raised an eyebrow and-

"JULISA! JIM! SHIRLEY! You guys made it!" Alice yelled, her hand cupped to her mouth. She looked strange with her hair tied up in a lose bun. She was wearing a pair of glasses and shorts with a lose tank.

For some reason, that looked silly on Alice...

Jim broke into a run and left Julisa and Shirley behind. Shirley started wading after him. Julisa kept walking until she met up with Alice, who was watching Jim run.

"Mind telling me?"

"Blair can." Alice smiled brightly. "In the meantime, how did the victory kiss taste?"

"Er..." Julisa looked away. She was flush from that, but she really loved it. Jim had given her the victory kiss with the gentlest of touches and the warmest hug. "Don't ask."

Alice giggled like she was five. "Well, there they are! OI!"

Julisa looked and gawked.

There was everyone, enjoying the beach and the cool waters. Blair was with Alexis and Jaden. Jim was talking with Jesse as the duo dipped their toes in the water. Jim looked to the side and gave Julisa one of his little sparks. Alice ran over to join Aster and Zane, both of whom were sulking in the corner. Atticus was out surfing while Syrus and Adrien were sailing. Axel was way off to the side, his arms crossed and his back to the waters.

Alice was right, she'd have to ask Blair...

"It's just a parting present for the guys leaving soon." Blair gave Julisa her "haha, I win," smiles.

"Attention all Duel Academy students! Please return to the school for an important announcement!"

The band made their way to the school. Jim caught up with Julisa and took her hand, leading her away. Alice smiled at Jesse and they linked arms, marching through the crowd. Aster and Jaden walked as a pair, not really touching, except for the occasional graze of their knuckles, which sent them into silence. Zane, Adrien, and Atticus brought up the rear, the trio seeming to be lost in their own.

Alice suddenly ran passed, Julisa following her. Zane and Atticus stopped, as Aster had done. Something was blinking in the distance...

A huge flash of light and they all turned around. The towers of Duel Academy had vanished.

Duel Academy and most of the students were missing...

* * *

HEROSHIPPING! er, i mean, Aster/Jaden! yes! anywho, that's it for this one! any more and i'd need to stop everything else... still, had to make it tie in some how...


End file.
